Does your daughter want to go as a pilot, fireman or policeman, something of which to aspire? Tough. They’re all for boys. Unless she is a sex kitten. One dad loses a gasket over the gender divide that is Halloween Costumes.
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Halloween can be a harrowing time for kids. And I’m using the word harrowing in the sense of it being difficult and confusing. Maybe that’s what harrowing always means. I’m not sure, but it’s a big word and it seems to fit and taking it out after writing this much about it might prove to be a harrowing adventure for me.
The word also sound a lot like Halloween, which, if you made it through that first sentence, you’ll realize can be confusing for kids. Because costuming, especially for a young girl (my assumption and opinion, not necessarily fact, although please do proceed), can be tricky. My question, specifically, is what is the problem with girl Halloween costumes?
For example, let’s say one of my daughters comes up to me the day before Halloween wanting to be a firefighter so they say to me, “can you find a firefighter costume for girls?” Duh, I’m your dad, of course I can do that. So I do as adults do and use the internet to tell me how to do this. Google, find me ‘firefighter costumes for girls.’
“Of course, I’m Google. Here you go, your results for ‘firefighter costumes for girls.’ Which one would you like to purchase…”
Wait, sorry Google, I asked for costumes for girls. These look like women and these don’t look too much like the outfits worn by any woman firefighter I’ve seen. What gives? Would you give me the same results if I asked for costumes for boys?
“Thanks for asking, here you go…”
Well, that one man does look a little under dressed. But not bad. Does this happen with pretty much every costume?
Now, reader, you may be thinking “dad, you’re an idiot, just search for firefighter costumes for kids. Why even bother looking for costumes for girls or for boys if you’re fighting so hard for some kind of gender neutrality?
Google, find me ‘firefighter costume for kids.’
“Here they are…”
That’s fricking why. Because if you want to find pictures of girls wearing costumes deemed traditionally masculine, you still need to add ‘for girls.’ Because we’re all horrible. So, back to Google. Are all costumes this horrible?
“Here’s pilot costumes for girls…”
Uh huh. So there are six people wearing full pilot outfits using that search and 10 wearing short skirts. Am I seeing the breakdown correct? 6 boys and men on one side and 10 women on the other? Not even one picture of a girl wearing anything? What about searching for pilot costumes for boys?
“Here’s pilot costumes for boys…”
Isn’t this just a little bit ridiculous? Try police officer.
“Police officer costumes for girls…”
Crap. The boys are dressed fine again!
“And police officer costumes for boys…”
You’re an asshole Google.
“Well this is Google, I’d imagine there have to be. Here are the results for ballet dancer costumes for boys…” None.
Sorry, I meant to ask for costumes for boys who like ballet. None.
Come on. What are you going on about? What if he wants to be a teacher? None.
“Well, then, teacher costumes for boys…” None.
Crap.
So what’s my point in all this? I’m mostly just angry seeing how hard it seems to be for a young girl to find a reasonable costume option for what they are: a young girl. Now, these smart young girls are probably far smarter than I am and far less jaded when it comes to this kind of crap. They can probably see a costume on a boy and think “hey, that would look cool on me too.” But why should they have to stretch their imagination just to see their own face in a firefighter costume?
Likewise, we’re pigeonholing our boys into spaces they don’t always want to be. Boys like dance and boys make great teachers. We’re not giving them an idea of manhood, we’re presenting them with an idea of manhood that quite simply doesn’t match up with their interests.
Does having equal representation of boys and girls on Google image search results mean anything? Yeah, it probably does. Maybe better representation of “girls” in these costumes would show that a girl is a young child and that girls who want to be pilots aren’t doing it for the sexy poses their uniforms might entitle them to.
Maybe a girl searching for a firefighter will see herself represented and talk to her guidance counsellor about the courses she needs to become one. Maybe a boy who searches for a ballet dancer will get a picture of someone who looks like him and maybe that will be the final push he needs to start the lessons he’s wanted to take.
There are of course places like A Mighty Girl who have an absolutely amazing collection of Halloween costumes FOR KIDS. These spaces are amazing and they’re empowering for both my daughters and for us as parents, but these spaces aren’t Google, they aren’t the spaces the masses spend hours a day on.
Maybe soon boys and girls won’t have to seek out specific individuals they see blazing trails for their gender because they’ll see there aren’t just a few boys or girls representing them, but thousands.
Originally seen on Puzzling Posts.
Btw. I ‘m looking at the current target Christmas catalog. Every single gun like toy is shown wit boys. Leg is have a boy and a girl but the girl has a damsel in her castle and the boy has a knight. The girls are surrounded by pink toys. Soft and fuzzy cute ones. The cowgirl with pink boots. The doctor with a pink medicine bag. Seriously???? And you think media is responding to reality or creating it? Not one boy pictured at the cooking play station. Shoot. I love to cook. Why am I not pictured at the stove?… Read more »
Sic ’em Mike. So tired of sexy for a toddler. Even guys muscle shirts are sexist. The color thing is stereotypical and sexist too. Keep fighting for all children, esp. your girls. For fun, watch the gals in Duluth work pant commercials. Wish every company had their attitude.
Ahh. But the girls notwithstanding the not pics which is part of obtuse advertising which of I were in advertising today I would certainly put a few little girls in the costume along side the boys. But put a boy in an Elsa costume or Cinderella along with the girls and there’d be holy he’ll to pay. Just like 2011 when Jenna Lyons of j crew was photographed having a ball with her 5 year old son Beckett. Trouble was that fun included painting his toes hot pink. The nastiness came out of the woodwork. It all centered on the… Read more »
Hey Mike, I get your point and it’s clearly valid. We can make the same points about every single magazine and sales brochure. Media representations of men and women have eons of evolving in front of them. And your daughter will see ALL of them in her lifetime. Something that might be more memorable and impactful for her is to have her dad take her to the local fire station and meet a woman firefighter. Meet the men too. Try on the hats and SCBA’s. And the boots. Sit in the drivers seat of the ambulance and take a FB… Read more »
My son-in-law is a fireman and some fire stations will give tours for school classes and organizations. My SIL’s fire house does an annual fire safety day where the fire house is open to the public where they actually gives rides in the fire engine. Needless to say, my grandsons birthday parties are also at the fire house. And also needless to say, my oldest grandson (age 5) wants to be a fireman.
Here is my problem with the photo’s you showed. You show a 5 year old in a fireman’s outfit and then showed a much much much older girl in something sexy. There is no reason that a little 5 year old girl couldn’t wear what the 5 year old boy wore. Same goes for the police or any other career uniform for small children. Now let’s look at the other side of the coin. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a girl “Freddy” or a girl ax murderer, how about a girl robber? I recently went shopping with my granbdsons… Read more »
Of course a 5 year old girl could and probably had to wear the same outfit as the boys do. But it is still a boys outfit and thus it has pictures of boys wearing them.
And it exist freddy costumes for ”girls” and may i say he never looked sexier.
https://www.google.se/search?biw=1920&bih=955&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=freddy+costume+for+girls&oq=freddy+costume+for+girls&gs_l=img.3..0i19j0i7i5i30i19j0i8i7i30i19j0i8i30i19.3193.4245.0.4621.8.8.0.0.0.0.113.642.7j1.8.0….0…1c.1.64.img..1.7.562.qBAdvHrUpt8